OPINION Friday, February 17, 1989 Page 4 The Michigan Doily Anti -Arab racism must not be tolerated By the Steering Committee of 'the United Coalition Against Racism Last year headlines in most U.S. papers contained news of the Intifada, the mass Palestinian uprising in the occupied tern- tories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and the brutal repression with which the Israeli government responded. Given the United States' longstanding and close relationship with Israel, these events trig- gered intense debate and dialogue in the United States, particularly in Jewish and Arab communities. Yassir Arafat's speech to the United Na- tions General Assembly renouncing terrorism and recognizing the existence of the state of Israel, and the United States' promise to open communications with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) have raised the level of debate even further. The national media, the United Nations and the U.S. Congress have all been forums for this issue, as well as the Daily. The Baker-Mandela Center will create another forum for this discussionton Friday, February 17. It will focus particu- larly on the Intifada and anti-Arab racism inside both Israel and the United States. .The Intifada was initially portrayed as another aspect of what we have been urged to view as ubiquitous "Arab terrorism." Television footage, despite Israel's attempt to suppress it, has proven this myth false. What millions have witnessed are scenes, resembling the streets and townships of South Africa, of Palestinian children hurl- ing rocks at heavily armed Israeli soldiers, houses razed, civilians arbitrarily rounded up and interrogated, water cut off and, over an eleven month period, more than 400 Palestinians killed. Comments by Israeli officials and sol- diers vividly illustrated the racist anti-Arab ideas which underlie Israeli policy toward Palestinians. To clarify our meaning, it may be useful to offer a partial definition of racism. One key feature of racism is when a particular racial or ethnic group is distinguished from the rest of humanity and designated as inferior or mote malevo- lent - and is treated accordingly. This attitude toward Arabs is reflected in Israeli Cabinet Minister Abraham Sharir's comment that "the Arabs are born liars." Israeli soldiers' descriptions of Arabs as "sneaky" and "a bunch of terrorists" and comments made by Israeli officials that Arabs are "naturally prone to violence" are additional examples of such racist views. Moreover, it is not only a view held by some Israelis, it is one echoed in the na- tional and international media. Casual ref- erences to Arab terrorism abound, imply- ing that violent acts by certain individuals reflect something intrinsicabout an entire ethnic group. If this were not the implica- tion, why is the race or ethnicity impor- tant? It can only be to suggest that something is a fundamental characteristic of the entire group. The only way the current Israeli policies against Palestinian self-determination and the gross violation of Palestinian human rights can be justified is by dehumanizing Palestinians, and by extension all Arabs, as a people. The reality behind the Intifada is a grim one and has fueled the anger of young Palestinians, many of them born since the 1967 occupation began. In the occupied territories, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been denied food and medical care, 'protesting youth are beaten daily and the frequent use of "harmless" weapons such as tear gas and plastic bul- lets have caused hundreds of deaths. This is the oppressive reality that is the backdrop to the Intifada. In responding to anti-Arab racism and the ongoing plight of the Palestinian peo- ple, we must do several things: 1. Reaffirm the right of self-determina- tion for Palestinians and all people. 2. Critique Israel's inhumane policies, especially in relation to U.S. aid to Israel, which totals over $3 billion dollars per year. It is not an Arab/Jewish issue but a political and moral one. 3. Recognize that criticism of Israel is not synonymous with criticism of all Jews. Thousands of Jews, both inside and outside of Israel, have protested Israeli policy. 4. Place the struggle against anti-Arab racism within the larger context of fight- ing overall anti-Semitism (against both Arabs and Jews, both Semitic peoples). While many Jews have embraced Zionism and uncritical support of Israel as a response to persecution of Jews, anti- Semitism and the horrible legacy of the Holocaust, what must be reaffirmed in the 1980s, is that "... never again", the pledge of resistance against anti-Jewish violence, must mean never again to any people, including Palestinians. 0 6 In an eleven month period, more than 400 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied territories. with many of the children being chased and brutally beaten as a result. What was not seen, but heard of through other sources, was the collective punishment meted out to entire Palestinian villages: Brown bag discussion BAKER MANDELA 0 CENTER Palestinian Uprising The Ella Baker-Nelson Mandela Center for Anti-Racist Education, a student organized and run alternative resource center, is sponsoring a series of weekly brown-bag discus- sions. This week's topic is "The Palestinian Uprising." Bring lunch, drink coffee (free), and participate in the stimulating, informal discussion. Today at 12 noon in the Baker- Mandela Center, first floor of East Engineering, Room 3. I -JI be £ftbigaUy Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan El Salvadoran government cannot tolerate free vote: Election fraud VoL. IC, No. 99 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 a ' a', Unsigned editorials represent a majority of the Daily's Editorial Board. All other cartoons, signed articles, and letters do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily. :w . a Alcohol's THE PROLIFERATION of anti-drug Pletoric and media hype in the last few' ygars has almost entirely ignored one of the nation's most serious and pervasive drug problems: the officially sanctioned use and abuse of alcohol. .The promotion of alcohol (and to- iacco) is not uniformly distributed across the different sectors of society. In Detroit, where 63 percent of the .population is Black, a recent survey found that almost half of 895 billboard advertisements promoted alcohol or to- bacco use. But in nearby suburbs - predominantly white - only 25 per- ,cent of the billboards advertised these products. This inequity is behind a new campaign to ban alcohol and tobacco billboards in the Motor city. A look at national advertising trends reveals the racist tendencies of alcohol :and advertising companies. In fact, the evidence of direct and deliberate cam- paigns to promote alcohol use specifi- cally in Black communities is over- ,whelming. In 1985, 26 percent of all regular -billboards in major cities were designed .to sell alcohol to Black consumers, a 'figure exceeded only by tobacco ads. Additionally, 74 percent of the national total spent on billboard advertisements for beer, and 92 percent spent promot- :ing malt liquor, targets Blacks. Weighed against the unequal access to health care, employment and educa- tibn in many Black communities, the results of this imbalance are startling. For example, while Black people in the United States continue to drink less per person than their white counterparts, 'they suffer disproportionately from al- cohol related illnesses - particularly liver disease, which kills Blacks at a rate twice that of whites. To deter criticisms of their advertis- ing policies, some alcohol companies have supported events and promotions .designed for minority communities. racist attack However, companies spend far more on promotions than programs. And the motives for the promotions themselves are highly suspect, with continued ef- forts dependent on a favorable return on investment. One of the most prominent and suc- cessful companies to offer this sup- posed support is the Adolph Coors company, which in 1984 launched a $600 million investment campaign in Black and Hispanic areas. In return, as The New York Times reported, several community leaders agreed to "take positive visible action to eliminate the misconceptions of Coors." Subse- quently, Coors' Community Relations Director John Meadows wrote that ef- forts to "reciprocate the support of the minority market" had been a success. "As a result," he said, "sales of our product have increased and our markets have expanded." Beneath the public relations facade of investing in these communities, Coors bought an image. In a culture where consumption is so affiliated with success, the open pro- motion of alcohol abuse is not surpris- ing. Alcohol companies spend more than $60 million a year on billboard advertising, and about $700 million on television promotions. They must be held accountable for the effects of their actions. Alcohol's corporate racism takes its toll directly on the Black community, and the problem is getting worse. The liver cirrhosis mortality rate among people of color doubled between 1960 and 1970, while declining among the general population. While alcohol and tobacco advertising persists, at least an equal amount of resources must be di- rected toward educational and health care efforts to counter the destructive effects of these drugs. Attitudes and standards regarding alcohol will not change as long as the alcohol industry keeps its corner on the information market. by Gus Teschke Second in a series on El Salvador The recent electoral history of El Sal- vador is characterized by fraud and U.S. interference. In 1972 and 1977, the mili- tary took power following elections. In 1982, a coalition of right wing parties won a majority of the Constituent As- sembly. Since they were linked to the death squads, the U.S. forced the assembly to appoint an unknown, Alvaro Magafla, president. In 1984, the U.S. spent mil- lions of dollars to insure the victory of "moderate" Jose Napoleon Duarte. Salvadorans seeking to change an unjust economic status quo have not been able to do it through the electoral process. They have taken up arms instead. El Salvador The guerrilla coalition, the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN), has consented to participate in the upcom- ing march presidential elections if they are honest. The FMLN has solid civilian support and has made the Proposal because they know they can win clean elections. It provides an analysis of recent Sal- vadoran history, enumerates conditions for a fair election, and what the FMLN will do. Here is the complete text of the pro- posal: The FMLN Proposal to Convert the Elections to a Contribution Toward Peace The general command of the Farabundo Marti Front for National Liberation con- sidered that: 1. The previous five elections have not resolved the fundamental problems of the country. 2. Our people no longer believe in elec- tions because they consider them fraudu- lent and because elections have not been able to end the conflict and resolve the ex- tremely serious economic crisis which deepens the social struggle 3. There exists a total dependency of our country on the United States which has forced the traditional parties, the Christian Democrats and ARENA, to seek the ap- proval of the U.S. government in that of the Salvadoran people. 4. The tendency toward fraud a among legislative, judicial, execu military powers converts the de electoral law into an unresolvab lem. This turns the next elections detonator of a major political c will lead to a definitive power vac 5. The intensification of violenc comes from the increase of re against the people who demand so their problems, places a dilemm the armed forces, that of com genocide and provoking an insurre waiting for a power vacuum anda rection caused by hunger. 6. There exists an internation ronment in which most regionalc are being resolved by means of tion. As a last effort to avoid the s plosion by providing the election higher purpose so that they can co to a lasting peace, the FMLN m following political proposal. To postpone the elections sched March 19 and hold them approx six months later. We propose1 them on September 15, the day of tional independence, and to carryo said elections under the followin continues nstead of 1. Respect the activity of the parties and electoral organisms throughout the na- nd crisis tional territories. tive, and 2. Respect the mayors if they disengage ebate on themselves from the plans of the army. le prob- 3. Decree a truce beginning two days into the before and continuing until-two days after risis that the elections. Withdraw any military pres- uum. ence from the towns and voting places. ce which 4. Call upon its entire social base to pression participate in the electoral activity, en- )lution to couraging people to support for the plat- a before form and candidates of the Democratic nmitting Convergence. -ction, or 5. Accept the legitimacy of the electoral an insur- results. 6. The FMLN would accept, in order to al envi- facilitate the implementation of this pro- conflicts posal, that the present government remain negotia- during the whole transition period. An electoral process held under the con- )cial ex- ditions that we propose would make pos- s with a sible an irreversible political solution the ontribute conflict, transforming it into a tremendous akes the contribution towards peace. This proposal contains elements that are obviously dif- luled for ferent from the existing legal order which ximately the forces in power constantly accuse each holding other of violating. f our na- We propose to place peace above the out these laws now in effect, and we say to those g agree- forces with decision making power, that if 0 0 0 'There exists a total dependency of our country [El Salvador] on the United States which has forced the traditional parties, the Christian Democrats and ARENA, to seek the approval of the U.S. government instead of that of the Salvadoran people.' ment. 1. An immediate cessation of assassina- tions, abductions, and repressions against demonstrations, strikes, and all activities of the popular movement, and complete respect by the armed forces for the elec- toral activities of all parties. 2. Guarantee that the army, paramilitary squads, and security forces remain inside their garrisons on election day, and that they have no participation in the election. 3. Integration of the Democratic Con- vergence into the Central Electoral Coun- cil, the formation of a Monitoring Coun- cil for the election, made up of religious, humanitarian, and civic organizations that would assume the role of maintaining or- der on election day, and would convene and coordinate all international observers. 4. Establish an electoral code which would represent the consensus among all parties. 5. Establish the right to vote for all Salvadorans abroad and guarantee, with international support, the conditions so that they can exercise that right. 6. The United States government must remain outside of the electoral process and not provide sunnort to any nartv. the war continues, their economic and po- litical interests are on the road to collapse. The conditions in which the present elections are going to be held cause them to be illegitimate, and for this reason the FMLN has rejected them, and if these conditions are not modified, the FMLN will maintain its position of accompany- ing the people in rejecting this current set of elections. These elections aggravate the war; our proposal contributes to peace. The FMLN calls upon all of the social forces of the country to take a position on this proposal and expresses its willingness to discuss it immediately with the gov- ernment, the Legislative Assembly, the Armed Forces, and all political parties. The Archbishop of San Salvador, Mon- signor Arturo Rivera y Damas can con- tribute to convening of these talks that would strengthen the effort towards na- tional consensus that the Church has pro- moted. Comandante Roberto Roca Comandante Schafik Handal Comandante Joaquin Villalobos Comandante Leonel Gonzalez Comandante Ferman Cienfuegos 01 I ' hM. w f / f.of ~w. . 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